EFF Unveils Privacy Guide for Parents and Youth to Spot Online Risks
EFF released a guide to help parents and youth protect online privacy with practical steps.
Why it matters: Legal teams working on privacy compliance and data protection education for families can use this guide to better support clients. It helps demystify how younger users can safeguard their online information amid increasing digital risks.
- EFF launched the "Online Privacy for Parents and Youth" guide on October 21, 2026.
- The guide focuses on security planning, known as threat modeling, to assess and reduce online risks.
- It includes questions to help families identify what to protect, threats they face, and consequences of exposure.
- The guide encourages ongoing conversations as children grow, recognizing privacy concerns differ by age.
On October 21, 2026, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released a comprehensive guide titled "Online Privacy for Parents and Youth" designed to assist families in protecting their privacy online. The guide serves as a practical tool focusing on security planning, or threat modeling, to help parents and children identify potential online threats and mitigate risks effectively.
The guide prompts families to assess their technology use by asking key questions such as: What information or devices do we want to protect? What online threats might we face? What could happen if we fail to protect this information? These reflections are intended to build awareness and preparedness tailored to each family’s unique digital habits and vulnerabilities.
Recognizing that digital privacy needs evolve with age, the guide encourages ongoing discussions and reassessments. Privacy concerns for a five-year-old differ significantly from those of a teenager, prompting parents to adapt protections accordingly. It also provides example questions to help determine which tools or online interactions their children are mature enough to handle, guiding parents on recognizing private information and understanding possible online dangers.
This guide complements broader efforts to enhance youth online privacy protections, such as the Children’s Privacy Code launched by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada just a day earlier, setting clear privacy expectations for organizations handling children's data.
By the numbers:
- October 21, 2026 — EFF's privacy guide release date
- October 20, 2026 — Privacy Commissioner of Canada launched Children’s Privacy Code